Wk 5 · 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys — Thu, Oct 8
Thu, Oct 8 ·
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
· Prime Video FINAL
Weather
This one is played indoors. There is nothing to forecast.
at
8:15pET
DAL -9.5 · total 49.5 DraftKings opened -3.5 · 6 toward DAL
Ratings differential DAL by 3.1
What is at stake
An NFC game between two divisions. It decides neither division, but conference record is the tiebreaker that follows head-to-head, and both of these are chasing the same 7 NFC playoff places. Division standings.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Buccaneers form
W 24-16at DALL 14-17vs GBL 16-23vs MINL 19-23vs CLEL 27-33at CIN
2026 season
Cowboys form
L 16-24vs TBW 34-30at HOUL 31-34vs BALW 37-20vs WSHL 20-28at NYG
2026 season
Buccaneers this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread1-3-1 · 25% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Cowboys this season
Straight up2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Against the spread2-2-1 · 50% (5 games)
Over / under4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 3
| Opponent | Buccaneers | Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| Packers NFC | vs L 14-17 preview | at Wk 6 · scheduled preview |
| Ravens AFC | at Wk 14 · scheduled preview | N L 31-34 preview |
| Rams NFC | vs Wk 17 · scheduled preview | at Wk 15 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Cowboys leads 9–4 · Buccaneers won the last one
13 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
5.3 points toward Cowboys
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-10-08 | Buccaneers 24 — 16 Cowboys | at DAL | Buccaneers |
| 2024 | 2024-12-22 | Buccaneers 24 — 26 Cowboys | at DAL | Cowboys |
| 2022 | 2023-01-16 | Cowboys 31 — 14 Buccaneers | at TB | Cowboys playoffs |
| 2022 | 2022-09-11 | Buccaneers 19 — 3 Cowboys | at DAL | Buccaneers |
| 2021 | 2021-09-09 | Cowboys 29 — 31 Buccaneers | at TB | Buccaneers |
| 2018 | 2018-12-23 | Buccaneers 20 — 27 Cowboys | at DAL | Cowboys |
| 2016 | 2016-12-18 | Buccaneers 20 — 26 Cowboys | at DAL | Cowboys |
| 2015 | 2015-11-15 | Cowboys 6 — 10 Buccaneers | at TB | Buccaneers |
| 2012 | 2012-09-23 | Buccaneers 10 — 16 Cowboys | at DAL | Cowboys |
| 2011 | 2011-12-17 | Cowboys 31 — 15 Buccaneers | at TB | Cowboys |
| 2009 | 2009-09-13 | Cowboys 34 — 21 Buccaneers | at TB | Cowboys |
| 2008 | 2008-10-26 | Buccaneers 9 — 13 Cowboys | at DAL | Cowboys |
| 2006 | 2006-11-23 | Buccaneers 10 — 38 Cowboys | at DAL | Cowboys |
Buccaneers leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Baker Mayfield QB #6 | 61/96, 615 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Jalon Daniels QB #10 | 19/30, 148 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT | |
| Rushing | Bucky Irving RB #7 | 56 CAR, 241 YDS, 1 TD |
| Baker Mayfield QB #6 | 11 CAR, 65 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jalon Daniels QB #10 | 9 CAR, 64 YDS | |
| Receiving | Cade Otton TE #88 | 15 REC, 157 YDS |
| Emeka Egbuka WR #2 | 15 REC, 154 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Chris Godwin Jr. WR #14 | 16 REC, 142 YDS | |
| Ted Hurst III WR #17 | 8 REC, 128 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Josiah Trotter LB #45 | 34 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. S #31 | 24 | |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 22 | |
| Sacks | David Walker LB #51 | 2 |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 1 | |
| A'Shawn Robinson DT #91 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | A'Shawn Robinson DT #91 | 1 |
| Josiah Trotter LB #45 | 1 | |
| Jacob Parrish CB #25 | 1 |
Cowboys leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Dak Prescott QB #4 | 105/150, 1065 YDS, 8 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Javonte Williams RB #33 | 62 CAR, 231 YDS, 5 TD |
| Dak Prescott QB #4 | 12 CAR, 66 YDS | |
| Tyler Goodson RB #25 | 9 CAR, 34 YDS | |
| Receiving | CeeDee Lamb WR #88 | 37 REC, 498 YDS, 4 TD |
| George Pickens WR #3 | 18 REC, 225 YDS | |
| Ryan Flournoy WR #19 | 13 REC, 104 YDS | |
| Jake Ferguson TE #87 | 12 REC, 83 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Caleb Downs S #13 | 29 |
| Dee Winters LB #53 | 25 | |
| Jaishawn Barham LB #55 | 21 | |
| Sacks | Quinnen Williams DT #92 | 1 |
| Rashan Gary LB #7 | 1 | |
| Caleb Downs S #13 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.